


Raindrops

by bms408



Category: Free!
Genre: Eventual Relationships, Fashion Designer AU, M/M, Minor SouRin, Sexuality Confusion, Some Minor OCs - Freeform, Tags to be added, different ways of coping with depression, eventual seigou, makoto and gou have a bby together, minor reigisa - Freeform, non-canon ages, past haru/oc, past makogou, some lgbt+ discrimination but only mentions of it, very americanized
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-20
Updated: 2017-04-13
Packaged: 2018-10-08 07:00:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10381161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bms408/pseuds/bms408
Summary: For Nanase Haruka, it seemed like it rained everyday since his wife died. However, when he bumps into an old acquaintance it seems like the sun is starting to shine again. Soon enough Haru finds himself falling for this person even after he swore he would never fall in love again.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been planning this fic for like a year and I figured since Free has just been revived I'd start posting it. This is my first attempt of a slow burn, so give me some leeway. 
> 
> I can't say I know why I chose this au. I honestly think it was because I wanted to make Rin a model.
> 
> To prevent confusion, here are the characters current ages(I will update in the notes after major time skips)  
> Haru: 26  
> Makoto: 27  
> Rin: 26  
> Gou: 24  
> Sousuke: 28  
> Nagisa: 23  
> Rei: 24  
> Sei: 29

* * *

Haru awoke to the sound of rain tapping the window beside his bed. He stared at the raindrops as they trickled down the glass. It was not a surprise to Haru to see it was raining. It seemed as if it rained every day now.

He tried to muster up the strength to get out of his bed, but found nothing to be accomplished. His day would go the same as it has for months. He would stay in bed until his assistant showed up to take him to work three hours late. It was a cycle doomed to repeat itself for a long time, but Haru was not really willing to do anything to change that.

Haru did not know whether he slept later than normal or his assistant was early, but he soon heard his assistant’s voice outside his door. His assistant burst through the door, not bothering to knock, with his usual optimistic smile.

“Rise and shine, Haru-chan!” his assistant cheered.

Haru ignored the man and pulled the covers over his head. He especially did not want to get out of bed today. Today was the two year anniversary of his marriage and he would much rather spend it locked away in his dark bedroom alone.

His legs suddenly felt the cold of the room when his assistant tried to pull off the covers.

“Come on, Haru-chan,” the man whined.

Haru peaked his head out of the covers to see his assistant pouting. His bright blonde hair was the only bright thing in the room and it was giving Haru a headache. “I don’t wanna go to work today,” he grumbled as he pushed his face into his pillow.

“I’m not taking you to work today,” the blonde replied. “I have a surprise for you.”

Haru gazed over to the blonde and raised his eyebrow. “Don’t fuck with me, Nagisa. I’m not in the mood.”

“I’m serious Haru-chan. You’ll see,” Nagisa replied. “I’ll run you a bath and make some tea in the meantime.”

The bath felt great. It was relaxing and peaceful and it kept Haru’s thoughts at bay. It was too soon when Nagisa came knocking on the door to get him out.

Haru dressed in the clothes he normally wore, which was just a pair of black running pants and a blue hooded shirt. He sat at the counter twisting the wedding band on his left ring finger as Nagisa poured him his tea. He held the warm cup in his hands, staring at the warm brown liquid, not bringing it up to his lips.

“Your parents think you need a change of scenery,” Nagisa said, pulling Haru out of his thoughts. He just glared up at the blonde in response. “I think you need it too,” Nagisa added.

Haru focused his attention back on his tea. “I like it here,” he insisted.

“Is that why you’re such a shut in?” Nagisa rhetorically asked. He sighed and bowed his chin. “Haru, you never go out unless I come drag you out. Hell, you don’t even open your blinds. If it weren’t for me, you would probably never get out of bed.”

Haru did not respond. He brought his cup up to his lips and took a sip as he watched the blonde pout from the other side of the counter.

Nagisa sighed again. “We’re moving to Samezuka,” he said simply.

“What do you mean we?” Haru inquired. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Your parents already bought you a place,” Nagisa said. “Our flight leaves in a few hours. The movers will be by later.”

“I told you, I’m not going anywhere,” Haru repeated, his tone indicating his irritation.

“Your parents are putting you in charge of the Samezuka location,” Nagisa continued. “Well, more or less.”

“I’m not going to Samezuka,” Haru continued to reject.

“You’ll have a supervisor until your parents see that you can handle management on your own,” Nagisa kept going, completely ignoring Haru’s objections.

“Nagisa!” Haru exclaimed, finally stopping Nagisa’s words.

Nagisa looked over to Haru with a sympathetic expression. “Haru…” the blonde started in a much softer voice than before. “It’s been nine months. It’s time for you to come out of the shadows.”

Haru looked back down at his tea and fiddled with his wedding band again. It was actually almost ten months since the accident. Haru remembered getting the call at work and rushing to the hospital just to find out that his beloved wife, Saki, had died before she even made it to the hospital.

Haru was never one to socialize with anyone; in fact, Haru did not like people. He preferred engorging himself in his work, but after meeting Saki, who was an intern for his father’s company at the time, Haru fell in love. Haru believed that she made him a better person and to everyone’s surprise, they married and Haru could not have been happier.

Saki was a simple woman. She was not born into wealth like Haru had been, but she always had a deep passion towards fashion. She initially wanted to design it, but as she grew older, she discovered her true passion was to market fashion. The designs that came from the Nanase brand were her favorite and that is why she worked to get the internship in their marketing department. She never once thought she would meet a Nanase, yet alone marry one, but she did.

But now she was dead and Haru did not know how to cope with it.

Nagisa released a huff of air. “You’ll like Samezuka,” he said trying to lighten the mood. “At least, you liked it when you were there before.”

Haru gave Nagisa a look that told him he was wrong; _it was Saki that liked Samezuka so much._

“Come on, Haru-chan. Lighten up,” Nagisa encouraged. “Rin lives in Samezuka.”

“Rin?” Haru questioned. _Was there some woman in Samezuka he was supposed to remember?_

“Matsuoka,” Nagisa added. Haru still looked puzzled. “He’s the red-headed model that’s around your age. He’s the one with the shark teeth,” Nagisa continued.

“Oh,” Haru said, now remembering who Rin was. “That one.” His tone had obvious frustration in it, which Nagisa found comical.

Haru did not remember most of the models he has had to work with, but Rin, he remembered Rin. Rin was and has always been a problem child to him. The two met at one of his father’s parties when they were nineteen. His mother had insisted that Haru befriend the boy because they were the same age. It was not that he had anything against Rin; Haru just did not want to be bothered with friends. Being one of his father’s models, Rin had attended multiple parties and would spend most of the time glued to Haru’s side. It was not until years later that Rin admitted that the only reason he had the modeling job was because of Haru, but that only made Rin more complicated to deal with.

Haru looked up at Nagisa, his eyes pleading to him to just let him stay in Iwatobi. He did not have the energy or spirit to move, especially not to Samezuka.

“It wasn’t my decision to make, Haru,” Nagisa said. The blonde sighed. “We know this is really hard for you, but we’re just trying to make the recovery easier. Locking yourself away with all these memories isn’t helping you.”

Haru sighed in defeat. His assistant had a point. All he ever did was sulk around in his bedroom and there was no logical way that would heal him.

“What about all my stuff?” Haru asked.

“Your parents already made arrangements,” Nagisa assured. “Just make a bag or two of the important things and the movers will pack and bring the rest. Well, except for furniture. If you want to keep any of that, you’ll need to mark it.”

 

Before leaving to catch their flight, Haru made sure to pack as much of his and Saki’s stuff as possible to make the movers’ jobs easier. He knew his parents hired the best and were overpaying them, but he still wanted to be polite.

He only marked a few pieces of furniture for keep, all of which were picked out by Saki over the time they had lived together. He marked things like the little stone fountain structure she had insisted on getting for their dining area when they first moved in together, the drawing table she had bought him for his twenty-third birthday that he had used so often that it could never return to its original white color, the plush chair she would sit in for hours as she watched him work on a design with that smile that he could not resist, and such.

He knew the purpose of the move was to get away from the reminders, but he did not have the heart to leave it all behind.

 

Within the next few hours, Haru and Nagisa were boarding the plane to Samezuka. Haru knew it was not going to be a long flight, maybe a few hours. He had flown to Samezuka multiple times before; however, this is the first time without Saki in a long while. With that being said, seeing Nagisa take the seat next to him did give him a feeling of relief.

“So, you really are coming with me?” Haru inquired.

“Of course,” the blonde replied. “I am your assistant after all. Can’t have you going around and replacing me, but not only am I your assistant, I’m also your friend. I wouldn’t want you to have to do this all by yourself.”

“But what about your friends and family? They all live here,” Haru commented.

“Don’t worry so much,” Nagisa said. “I’ll be fine. I know people in Samezuka. Besides, I always enjoyed staying in Samezuka.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Haru said with a chuckle.

Leaving the conversation at that, Haru thought to himself about his “new” life in Samezuka. He did not want to live in Samezuka, nor has he ever. He had always liked living in Iwatobi, where it was quiet and never had anything going on. Iwatobi was a small town by the beach that was great for raising children or retiring. Haru could see the ocean from his bedroom window in Iwatobi. He knew everyone in the town and they saw him as more than his father’s son. He was able to live peacefully while he designed his fashion line.

Samezuka was the opposite.

Samezuka was a bright and loud city where nobodies went to become somebodies. Aspiring actors, singers, dancers, and models could be found in every coffee shop and on every street corner just looking for their big break which usually does not come. Most of these being teenagers right out of high school, this results in a high number of homeless youth, and, just like any other big city, its fair share of drug and prostitution problems.

Samezuka was meant for the young and talented who wanted to party more than work and that was not who Haru was. Haru was already a somebody and did not need to search for a big break. He only wanted to get his work done and do as his parents want. He was never fond of staying in Samezuka and he only believed that feeling would get worse once he lived there.

 

The flight to Samezuka was not long and the two were soon waiting to grab their bags and leave the airport. Haru still did not know the details about where he was going to be living and Nagisa refused to tell him, insisting it was still a surprise. Haru questioned how he was supposed to go home if he was not allowed to know where he was living, but instead of answering him, Nagisa suggested that they go out to dinner.

The two left the airport and got into the backseat of a car that Nagisa had arranged for to pick them up. “So, where do you want to eat, Haru-chan?” Nagisa asked. “I’m sure with your name you could get in anywhere, even if it is last minute. We can drive around until you see somewhere you like.”

Haru did not respond. He just stared out the window, watching the city lights. It was dark already and it was time for Samezuka’s nightlife to prosper. Soon, the nightclubs and bars would be over-crowded with the young talent the city had to offer. The city was great for those who liked to get drunk and party all night long.

Haru was not one of those people.

Even though he was wealthy and well known in the fashion and modeling industries, Haru was still out of place in Samezuka. He did not like being part of the media. He would much rather prefer to keep himself anonymous and live an average life, but his father did not want any of that for him. Being the only child of the Nanase family, Haru was expected to take over the company upon his father’s retirement. His parents had made a plan for his life soon after he was born. Haru had very little say in what he wanted to do with his life. He was surprised when his parents allowed him to marry Saki instead of choosing a bride for him.

Sure, Haru did enjoy designing clothing, but not in the way he parents did. Haru enjoyed using his artistic abilities another way: painting. He loved painting and his favorite thing to paint was the ocean. He would paint still-lifes of what he could see from his home in Iwatobi. He would also paint underwater scenes full of fish and coral, and sometimes even mermaids.

He also loved to swim. He had swam competitively during his middle and high school years, but after graduation his parents forced him to stop and go to college for marketing and business. He never took his competitive swimming too seriously and still swims as a hobby when he can find the place and time.

 

The group drove around for about twenty minutes when Haru finally saw where he wanted to eat. He pointed out to Nagisa a small diner next to a dimly lit gas station.

“There?” Nagisa questioned. “That’s just a commoner’s family diner. Wouldn’t you like to go somewhere a bit more… high class?”

“No,” Haru replied simply. “I want to go there.”

“Well alright,” Nagisa said and gave the driver the command to stop there.

The two entered the diner and Haru was immediately hit with a warm and relaxing feeling, even though the place was very crowded and busy. It did not take long for a hostess to greet them and sit them at a booth closer to the back of the diner.

Haru took a brief survey of the diner. Although the place was loud and crowded, it still felt inviting. Just by looking at the cliental one could tell the place was family oriented; in fact, there was at least one child at every other table.

Unfortunately for Haru, even with it being a commoner’s diner, he could feel the eyes on him. Chances were they recognized him for the media; that just came with the name. His parents have been showing him to the world since before he was born, so anyone who owns a television should recognize him. Haru was luck, however, that no one made a move to come up and speak to him.

Haru brought his attention to the menu. There were much more options to choose from than he thought there would be. He wanted seafood, preferably mackerel, but the closest thing he could find was fish and chips. He was not a big fan of fried food, so he figured he would just order soup.

“Hello,” a man’s voice said, causing Haru to look up from his menu. The voice belonged to a tall, tan-skinned man with messy brown hair and bright green eyes. “I’m sorry for the delay,” the man continued. “It’s the dinner rush and we’re a little short-handed tonight. My name is Makoto and I’ll be your server this evening. Can I start you gentlemen off with some drinks?”

Haru ordered a water but did not pay attention long enough to hear what Nagisa ordered (it was probably something loaded with sugar); he was too busy taking in the man’s features. He smiled so kindly and brightly, yet Haru could see he was exhausted, probably both physically and emotionally. Before Haru could move his eyes away from the waiter’s face, the man left with a smile. He almost swore he knew who that man was. He could place the name with the face, but he did not understand how.

“Haru?” Nagisa interrupted. “Did you even hear a word I just said?”

“Sorry,” Haru replied with a shrug.

“Well, I was talking about how much you’re going to love your new place,” Nagisa repeated.

Haru hummed in acknowledgement, but did not give Nagisa all of his attention. He was too busy looking at the waiter, trying to figure out who he was and where he had seen him before.

“Nagisa, do you know who our waiter is?” Haru finally asked. He knew Nagisa was better with names and if the two had met before, he would probably know who he was.

“He’s the man over there,” Nagisa replied, pointing in the direction of Makoto.

“No, I mean **who** he is,” Haru restated. “I swear I’ve seen him somewhere before.”

“Hmm, I don’t recognize him,” Nagisa said. “Maybe you saw him at one of your shows here in Samezuka. I mean, he is cute,” he continued with a wink. “Even if you’re not gay.”

Haru glared at Nagisa in response. That was most certainly not the reason he recognized Makoto. He was sure he had **met** him and possibly even spoken to him.

“Why don’t you just ask him?” Nagisa suggested.

“That would be pointless,” Haru stated. “Just about everyone who knows what the internet is knows who I am; especially the people in Samezuka.”

“I don’t know about that,” Nagisa said. “It didn’t seem like he knew who you were.”

“He was probably just being polite; or it’s part of his job to not make a fuss over celebrities.”

Nagisa pouted at Haru’s response. “This is why you don’t have any friends Haru-chan,” Nagisa said with a sigh.

“I don’t need friends,” Haru stated curtly.

Nagisa sighed again. He knew the reason why Haru was as unfriendly and unsociable as he was, but he would not dare utter it. “Well, at least you have me to keep you going.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Haru said, hiding behind the menu again.

 

The pair finished their meal, paid the bill (in which Haru left a more than generous tip), and got back into the car. Nagisa had finally decided to let Haru see where he was going to be living from now on.

As expected, Nagisa directed the driver to a high-rise. Nagisa led Haru to the elevator and punched in the code to one of the penthouse apartments. Haru was not surprised by this considering his parents were the ones who moved him to Samezuka. He was twenty-six years old, yet his parents still insisted on doing everything for him. It was as if they did not want him to think for himself and make his own decisions.

Nagisa had been going on about the place, but Haru could not say he was actually paying much attention. He heard a few things during the tour, like the fact that there was a bathtub, but he did not care to hear any more than that.

“And the best part is I live a few floors down,” Nagisa said, concluding the tour. “You’ll never be late to work again.”

Haru only nodded in response. Not only was he not listening to Nagisa, he was also not looking around too much to actually take in what was in his new home. He figured he would just look around on his own after Nagisa left.

“You look unhappy, Haru-chan,” Nagisa added.

“I didn’t want to move in the first place,” Haru replied.

“Oh, come on, don’t be like that Haru-chan,” Nagisa pouted. “You have to give this place a chance.”

Haru did not reply. He walked over to the massive, floor to ceiling glass windows in the living room. He could see all of Samezuka from there, at least that is what is what it felt like.

Nagisa sighed. “I’ll leave you to explore,” he said. “If you need me, I live on the seventh floor. Apartment 715.”

Moments later, Haru heard the elevator and Nagisa was gone.

He had to admit, Samezuka’s lights did look beautiful. It was something that Saki would have definitely loved. Whenever they would stay in the city, she would always insist they get a room with a view of the whole city.

Haru shook his head. He had to stop thinking about Saki. The whole point of moving away was to help get over Saki’s death. He should have known that everything, no matter where he went, would remind him of her. Who could blame him though? He lost the love of his life before they could even make a life with each other.

He stepped away from the window and headed to what he believed was the kitchen. To his surprise, the kitchen was bigger than the one in his home in Iwatobi. The floor was a pristine, white marble tile and the walls were painted a cool gray with a gray and blue tile mosaic. The cabinetry was a finished, black wood with stainless steel handles. All the countertops were a white and blue, thick granite. The island had three stools on one side while the other faced the electric stove. On the other side of the kitchen was a little, square table with an L-shaped bench with black plush cushions. Next to that was a breakfast bar that allowed him to see into the dining room.

It all seemed to clean and modern for Haru. He preferred small, cozy kitchens with simple wood finishes and tile countertops. This was only the kitchen. He could only guess that the rest of the place would share the same characteristics.

This was not the kind of place Haru wanted to live in. Sure, this was the kind of home someone with Haru’s status would live in, but Haru was never one to follow the norm. He just wanted a simple life. He felt trapped in his current life. He just wanted to be free.

Haru sighed as he walked into the dining room. The dining room was simpler than the kitchen. Finished wood flooring with a burgundy, rectangular area rug under a basic redwood dining table. The table could be set for eight, even though it would probably never be set at all. The dining room was small, but there was still room for Saki’s fountain.

Continuing his survey, Haru then walked through the living room, noticing he had two different sitting areas: a gray sofa and two armchairs facing a television mounted on the wall, and a U-shaped white sofa facing out the windows. He will never why he would ever need so much seating in one room, but did not dwell on it.

From the living room, he walked down one of the two hallways to the master bedroom. Much to his relief, the room only contained a king-sized bed, two bedside tables, a dresser, and a walk-in closet. Attached to the bedroom was the master bathroom. Luckily for Haru the bathroom had a both a walk-in shower and a bathtub big enough for two.

Haru decided to test his new tub and started to fill the bath. While the tub was filling, Haru walked back into the living room to grab his cellphone off the coffee table near the window. He lit up the screen to see one new message from Nagisa.

_‘Don’t stay up too late. It’s back to work tomorrow :)’_

Haru could not say he was surprised. It was just like his parents to get him right back to working. He did not care. As for the moment, he had a hot bath waiting for him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With his second shift finally over, Makoto breathed out a sigh of relief. He could finally go home and sleep. He did not need to be in work again until Thursday night so he wanted nothing more than to leave before he could be asked to work anymore extra hours.
> 
> Makoto waited until he was in his car to check his phone. There he found a text message from his wife that read, ‘I need you to come home right after work. My mom stopped by for a surprise visit.’
> 
> He groaned as he threw his phone into the passenger seat. What better way to end an exhausting weekend than an impromptu visit from a close-minded mother in law.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First thing is I made a mistake when posting Rin's age in the previous chapter(I fixed it now but). I originally posted that he was 24, when he's actually 26. My bad.
> 
> Secondly, I'm sorry for any typos and shit. I'm un-beta'd

 

* * *

Makoto loved his job, he really did. He liked his co-workers and seeing the happy families that visited the diner. He liked meeting new people and spending time with the regulars. However, he did not like his job when he had to pick up other people’s shifts multiple times in one week. Currently on his second shift of the day, he was exhausted. It was Sunday evening and he wanted nothing more than to go home, curl up in bed, and sleep until Tuesday.

He figured things would be just like every other double shift he has had to endure. He would be tired, his feet would be killing him, and he would want to down an entire bottle of whiskey himself, but he would still give his customers his warm, gleaming smile. However, things went exactly how he hoped they would not. First, when it came time for the cooks to change shifts, three of the five of them were late, making the cooks cranky and orders slow. In turn, that made the customers unhappy, which is never good for the overworked and short wait staff. Then, Makoto had to deal with a table with four children that were all clearly under five years old. He loved children and all, but these kids were horrible. They threw their food and dumped their drinks all over the table while, who he assumed to be their mother, just sat there paying more attention to her cellphone than her children. After they had left and he had managed to clean up all their mess in between serving other tables, Makoto was told he would have to wait even more tables because one of the waitresses had to go home early after getting sick. Makoto had to admit he was kind of jealous of that. To top it all off, he spilled hot coffee on himself twice. He was about ready to quit right then and there, but he knew he could not afford to.

 As shitty as it seemed however, he did get to wait a table with two customers that seemed… out of place. It was two men. The shorter of the two had short blonde curls, much like a child’s, and pink eyes while the other man had short black hair and eyes as blue as the ocean Makoto hated so much. They were not dressed up fancy per say, but the blonde was dressed up enough to put them out of place. That and almost everyone in the diner staring and whispering to one another. Makoto could not say he recognized who they were and treated them just like he would any other customer.

After taking their orders, Makoto brought the order up to the counter where it would be given to the kitchen. At the counter stood one of the other waitresses printing a bill. “Aren’t you a lucky one,” she said to Makoto. “Getting a big shot at one of your tables.”

“I don’t think I know what you’re talking about,” Makoto said.

“The two men you just took the order of,” his co-worker clarified. “The one with the blue eyes. Do you really not know who he is?”

“I can’t say I do,” he replied.

“Seriously?” the woman gasped. “Have you ever just glanced at a fashion magazine?”

“Not enough to recognize the guy,” Makoto replied. “Besides, I don’t care who he is. If he wanted to be treated like a fancy person, he would have gone to one of those places for rich people. He probably just wants to be treated like a normal person here.”

 

The two “fancy” men were an easy table and did not stay long. After Makoto left them their bill, the two left silently, paying the bill in cash.

After he was finished cleaning the table, he grabbed the bill book and brought it to the register. Upon opening the little black book, he found $240 for the $35 meal and the words ‘Thank you’ written on the receipt. He felt that they had made a mistake, but there was nothing that could be done considering the men were long gone.

 

With his second shift finally over, Makoto breathed out a sigh of relief. He could finally go home and sleep. He did not need to be in work again until Thursday night so he wanted nothing more than to leave before he could be asked to work anymore extra hours.

Makoto waited until he was in his car to check his phone. There he found a text message from his wife that read, _‘I need you to come home right after work. My mom stopped by for a surprise visit.’_

He groaned as he threw his phone into the passenger seat. What better way to end an exhausting weekend than an impromptu visit from a close-minded mother in law.

 

Makoto pulled into the driveway of his home in suburban Samezuka. He lived right on the edge of the city. Both him and his wife had grown up in the suburbs outside the city and now worked in the city. This location kept them close to their families and to their jobs.

Makoto met his wife, Gou Matsuoka, in college. She was three years younger than him, but they made the relationship work. Even though the two were both at different levels and majors, they managed to still make time for each other. Gou was in a beauty major and Makoto in advertising. After graduating, Makoto worked for one of the many large scale advertising companies in Samezuka. Gou had come from a wealthy family, but her goal was to become a stylist for models and actors. After she graduated, she was hired by a fairly popular production agency to do hair and makeup for their actors.

The two loved each other and were very happy together. Things were going well. However, after being together for about three years, shortly after Gou graduated, the two rushed into a marriage after she got pregnant. Not wanting to disappoint their parents announcing a pregnancy out of wedlock, they quickly married and a few month later, their daughter, Asami, was born.

After Asami was born, the two had made the decision that Makoto would become a stay at home dad while Gou worked considering her higher salary. Makoto did not have a problem with it; he loved spending time with his daughter.  On the other hand, his mother in law was not so happy about it. She believed it was the man’s job to work. Even though Gou had explained to her mother their salary situation, she did not care to listen. After Asami was a little over a year old, Makoto decided to go back to work, but when he could not get another job in advertising, he had to resort to becoming a server at a diner near the Samezuka airport.

Now Asami was two years old. Makoto loved her unconditionally. Even so, Makoto found himself almost miserable in his current life.

There was once a time where Gou was Makoto’s true love, but as the years went by, he could not say he was so sure anymore. They were young college students when they fell in love and rushing into their marriage was not their best idea. Granted, there was plenty of love at their wedding, but the more they thought about their marriage, the less of the spark they felt.

Even still, Makoto went home every day and gave Gou a kiss as if nothing was wrong. He would play with Asami and tuck her in at night. He would still smile and laugh with Gou and share the same bed at the end of the day. It was not that they were unhappy, but they were not necessarily happy either.

Makoto stepped in his front door and was immediately greeted by Asami running up to him and hugging his legs.

“Hey sweetie,” Makoto said as he bent over and picked up his daughter. “Did you miss me?”

Asami responded by clapping both her hands on her dad’s cheeks while giggling. “Dadda!” she cheered.

“You’re later than I expected,” Gou said, walking into Makoto’s view.

“I’m sorry,” Makoto said as he walked over to and kissed his wife. “We were seriously under staffed and they wouldn’t let anyone go.” After receiving “the look” from Gou, he added, “I promise I came right home.”

“Well, my mom’s been waiting for you to get home,” she said in a hushed tone.

“Why?” Makoto asked, his voice also low. Part of him was seriously hoping that his mother in law left before he got home.

“I have no idea. She wouldn’t tell me,” Gou answered.

“That’s never good.”

“I tried to tell her you have been working extra hours and probably wanted to just come home and sleep, but you know how she is,” she continued.

“I know.”

Makoto followed his wife into the kitchen, still cradling Asami in his arms. His mother in law was sitting at the table, giving him the disapproving look that she always did. No matter what he would do, he could not please the woman. She had problems with him not working, then, after he got the job at the diner, she had a problem with him working again. Makoto just believed she never liked him from the start. Even after he and Gou got married, she still treated him like an outsider.

Although he would never tell Gou, he believed his mother in law was evil. Now, he was a nice person and did not like to think negatively of other people; every other person but her. She thought very high of herself and treated others wrong. Hell, she disowned and kicked out her fourteen-year-old son for just being her son.

Makoto’s brother in law was Rin Matsuoka. Rin was a model for the Nanase Company, normally seen modeling the designs of the Nanase son. Rin and Gou had been separated when Rin was kicked out and did not get to meet each other again until ten years in the future.

“Good evening, Mrs. Matsuoka. I’m sorry it took me so long to get home,” Makoto said.

“Oh, don’t worry,” the woman replied. “I’m sure whatever secret job you have takes up much of your time.”

“Mom, he really was only working at the diner,” Gou said in Makoto’s defense.

“Well, maybe he should consider going back into that design career or whatever it was he did,” Mrs. Matsuoka continued.

“Advertising,” Makoto corrected.

“Excuse me?” she questioned.

“My previous work was in advertising,” Makoto added.

“Whatever,” she replied. “Just as long as it pays the bills so Gou can stop working.”

“But I like working,” Gou said. “You keep acting like Makoto forced me to keep working.”

“A mother needs to be home with her child. A father doesn’t know how to raise a child properly,” her mother said.

“You worked when I was a child,” Gou argued.

“That was a different circumstance. Your father and I were separated,” her mother said in defense. “With you working so much, poor Asami isn’t getting the time with her mother that she needs. And now, both of you are working. She practically has to raise herself.”

“The way our schedules work out, Makoto and I are only both working one day of the week, and that one day a week she spends with Rin, who she really enjoys being around,” Gou replied.

Makoto’s mother in law made a sound of disgust. “I can’t believe you’d let Rin near your child,” she said. “She’s going to fill that poor baby’s head with lies.”

“No, he isn’t. Rin loves Asami,” Makoto said. “Just because Rin is open-minded unlike you doesn’t mean he’s a bad influence on my daughter. Now if you’ll excuse me, it is time for Asami to go to bed.”

Before allowing his mother in law to argue with him, he exited the kitchen and took Asami upstairs to her room. It was not actually time for her to be in bed, but he had to leave the argument. He sat on the floor of his daughter’s room while she played in between his legs.

He always got very angry whenever his mother in law attacked Rin. He was always the first one to defend him. He had not met Rin until after he and Gou were married. The day he met Rin had been the first time Gou had seen him in ten years. He remembered Rin being very nervous and weary of him in the beginning, but it did not take them long to get well acquainted with each other. Rin was a kind soul just like he was. Even though Rin had not seen Gou for a decade, Makoto could tell he still loved and cared for her tremendously. In addition, Asami loved Rin the moment she met him. Rin burst into tears of joy when Asami grabbed his hair the first time he held her. Makoto knew Rin was happy to be a part of a family again and it bothered him to no end that Rin’s own mother refused to respect him.

Makoto believed Rin was stronger than he could ever be. He could not imagine being out casted by his own mother. Rin had pulled himself up from nothing to become a fairly popular model, meanwhile he was getting nowhere in life.

Makoto was born into a family that was not rich like Gou and Rin’s, but they were quite well-off. To say it simply, when he was growing up he had family money. He did not need to work or provide for himself. His parents payed for his college education, but after that, Makoto had felt he had been given enough and started working for his own money. He wanted to become more than just one of the Tachibanas.

 

Makoto sat with Asami for about fifteen minutes before Gou finally came upstairs. He knew he was going to get a lecture from someone, he just did not know if it was going to be from his wife or his mother in law.

“Well, my mother is gone, so you can stop hiding up here,” Gou said as she stood in the doorway of Asami’s bedroom.

“I wasn’t going to stand there and let her insult me anymore,” Makoto said. “It’s not my fault she doesn’t like me. I’ve tried everything to make her happy and it still isn’t good enough.”

“She doesn’t hate you,” Gou sighed.

“Then what would you call that?” Makoto questioned.

“She’s just… overprotective in her own way,” Gou responded.

Makoto gave his wife a look of disbelief. “What is that supposed to mean?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Gou said with a hint of frustration in her tone. “Look, when you’re done, put Asami to bed. Then, we need to talk, okay?”

Makoto nodded and watched Gou leave the room. He ran his fingers through Asami’s brown curls as she smashed a toy dolphin and orca together. “At least you still love me, right baby-butt?” Makoto said with a sigh.

“Dadda!” Asami cheerfully replied.

Makoto chuckled at her response. Asami was always so happy. She almost never cried or got upset. She never failed to bring a smile to his face, no matter how bad things got. She was the reason he got out of bed in the morning and she was the reason he came home at night. Asami was the one good thing to come from his life.

 

After letting Asami play for another half an hour, and a bit of tiny protests, Makoto put her to bed. He did not mind the protests however. If marriage had taught him anything, it was that it was never a good thing when a wife needed to speak to you. He could not help but wonder what he had done wrong now. He was probably going to be scolded for how he treated his mother in law.

He made his way downstairs to the living room where Gou was watching television. He sat on the opposite side of the couch, leaving plenty of space between them just in case she was angry at him.

Gou waited until the end of her program to finally start to speak. With a sigh, she started, “Makoto, I’ve been thinking.” She paused for a moment. “Now, I don’t want you to think this is a sudden thing. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now and I just needed to figure out some way to tell you.”

Makoto did not speak. He did not want to discourage Gou by speaking. He had a feeling he knew where this conversation was going, and it was not in a positive direction. However, he knew Gou wanted to be the one to say it.

“This is very difficult for me and I spent a lot, and I mean a lot, of time thinking about it,” she continued before pausing again. Then, another sigh. “Makoto, I think we should get a divorce.”

Even though he knew in his gut this was coming, Makoto still felt a little shocked.

Before letting Makoto respond, Gou proceeded to ramble on, her tone sounding almost panicked. “I don’t want you to think I don’t love you and care about you, but it’s more of a ‘I love you as my baby’s father’ and not ‘I love you as my husband.’ I mean, I did love you like that when we first got married, but now, I just don’t know and you probably feel the same way too, right? I mean, we don’t go on dates, or even like, try to go on them. We don’t rush home from work to be with each other. We also barely even touch each other. When was the last time we had **good** sex? Hell, when was the last time we cuddled? We kiss each other because we have to, not because we want to.”

“Gou, calm down,” Makoto said as he put his hands on her shoulders.

She looked up at her husband and just stared at him, not saying anything for a few seconds. “Aren’t you upset?”

“Of course I am,” Makoto replied. “But it’s not like I hadn’t thought about it either.”

“Well, what do you think?” Gou asked.

Makoto sighed. “I don’t know. It’s not like I want to get divorced but…”

“You don’t want to be together anymore either…” Gou finished the statement to which Makoto nodded. “I feel the same,” she added.

“Well, I’ll leave the decision to you. But, if you decide to do it, all I ask is that I still get custody of Asami,” Makoto said. “I can’t give her up.”

“Makoto, there wouldn’t even be a fight about that. I don’t want the court to have anything to do with our daughter. I’d never make it so that you couldn’t see her. We would just need to work out a schedule for when each of us should get her,” Gou said.

There was an extended, awkward silence between them.

“I think we should do this slow,” Gou said, breaking said silence. “Just in case something happens and we change our minds.”

Makoto nodded. After a moment, he spoke. “Won’t this upset your mother?” he asked. “Isn’t she against divorce or something?”

“She certainly won’t be happy, even though she doesn’t like you,” she replied.

“So you admit she doesn’t like me,” Makoto said.

“No, she doesn’t,” Gou admitted. “She wanted me to marry a Nanase or someone of their tier. That doesn’t mean she wants us to get a divorce. She would much rather prefer we separate like she did with my dad.”

“Wait, doesn’t Rin work for a Nanase or something?” Makoto questioned.

“He does. Isn’t that ironic?” Gou replied. “He’s met a Nanase in person. I have to admit, I’m a little jealous.”

“I thought you hated the Nanase brand,” Makoto said.

“So did I, but when the son started releasing things a couple years ago, I decided I didn’t so much anymore.”

Makoto sighed again. “So, we’re really getting a divorce?”

“Right now, yes,” Gou said.

“Is it just me, or do you also feel an extreme amount of pressure off your shoulders?” Makoto asked.

“I do.”

“Well, that’s good… I think.”

“How are we going to tell Asami?” Gou asked.

“Let’s not worry about it until I move out,” Makoto answered.

“You don’t have to move out,” Gou said. “We bought this house together.”

“Yeah, but you’re the one who can afford it. Don’t you think it would be weird living with your ex-husband if you were trying to date again?” Makoto said. “Besides, I’ve been taking all those extra hours at work to prepare for something like this.”

Gou had a look of surprise on her face. “Does that mean you’re ready to leave now?” she questioned. “I’m not ready for you to go yet.”

“I’m not ready to go anywhere yet, except maybe bed. Don’t worry. You said you wanted to take this slow, right?” Makoto said with a reassuring smile. He was not lying. He was not prepared to move out yet, neither financially or emotionally.

Gou returned his smile. “Right.”

 

Makoto woke up the next morning to Asami yelling “Dadda” and “Mommy” over and over in the other room. The room was filled with sunlight, telling him Gou had already left for work. After taking a quick glance at the clock and seeing it was past nine, he was thankful Asami let him sleep in this late.

Makoto slothfully picked himself up and out of bed and walked over to Asami’s bedroom. “Dadda!” the toddler cheered upon seeing her father enter the room.

“Chipper as always I see,” Makoto said as he lifted Asami out of the crib. “I bet you want a diaper change and some breakfast. Can you say any of that? Diaper? Change? Hungry? Food? Daddy you look terrible this morning? Anything?”

“Dadda!” Asami replied.

“Yeah, I thought so,” he said with a sigh.

After changing her into a fresh diaper and onesie, he carried Asami downstairs to the kitchen and sat her in her green highchair. Although Makoto believed at this age Asami would not need a highchair, he still used it because it kept her in place. He started brewing a pot of coffee and poured some Cheerios on the tray of the highchair. He poured himself a cup of coffee with plenty of cream and sugar and sat down at the table. Asami was having more fun smashing her cereal and making a mess than eating it, but Makoto did not say anything to her. If Gou were here, she would have scolded him for not scolding Asami.

Gou…

Makoto was only then reminded of the conversation that took place the previous night. Part of him hoped he had only dreamt it, but he knew he did not. It had all happened so quickly, almost like a conversation about what to have for dinner. Was their relationship really **that** bad? He was not lying when he had said he thought about it, but it is a whole other thing when it is actually happening. He still loved Gou, that he knew, but maybe he only loved her in the same way she loved him. In reality, Asami was the reason the marriage happened, and chances were, she was the only reason it was ever going to happen. Both him and Gou loved Asami too much to leave her and that was probably why it took so long for either one of them to bring up separating.

Makoto’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his front door opening and a voice calling out, “Knock knock!” Within seconds, a man with maroon hair and sharp teeth peaked his head into the kitchen.

“Win!” Asami said in delight at the visitor.

“How’s my baby girl?” Rin asked as he picked Asami up out of the highchair. Asami burst into giggles as Rin lifted her over his head.

“What are you doing here?” Makoto asked. “Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”

“Yeah, but my boss told me to leave,” Rin replied.

“But it’s not even ten o’clock,” Makoto said.

“Well, my new boss came in today so they cancelled my shoot; well actually it was more like they rescheduled it for tomorrow so he could get settled today, and he sent me home,” Rin explained. “And it’s boring at home because Sousuke is working. So, I decided to come here and play with Asami.” He eyed Makoto up and down, noticing his bed head and clothing selection of nothing but a pair of gray pajama pants. “What about you? You just get out of bed or something?” he asked.

“Basically, yeah,” Makoto answered.

“Rough night, huh?” Rin said as he bounced side to side with Asami on his hip.

“More like rough month,” Makoto mumbled.

“I’m sure things will get better soon enough,” Rin said in an attempt to keep the mood on the positive side. There was a brief silence until Rin suddenly got an idea. “I know,” he added. “Why don’t you come drinking with me tonight? I’m already making Haru and Nagisa come. You should come too! It’ll be fun.”

Makoto did not want to admit that he did not know who Haru and Nagisa were, so he replied with the classic, “Oh, I don’t know.”

“It’ll be good for you and I’m sure Gou wouldn’t mind if she knew it was with me,” Rin said.

“Who goes out drinking on a Monday night?” Makoto questioned.

“People who live in Samezuka,” Rin replied. “People who like to have fun.”

With a long and over-exaggerated groan, Makoto agreed to go out drinking with Rin and his friends. How bad could it possibly be? Drinking was not something he was opposed to and Rin usually had good taste in friends. The night would probably help get his mind off of his current life events, even if it was just for a few hours.

“Great!” Rin said with his trademark, sharp toothed smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and Comments keep me going so...

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr @bms408
> 
> Kudos and comments keep me going so....


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